When people think about Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), the first brand they think of is UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). In fact, UFC has basically become the generic name for MMA, much like Kleenex for facial tissue. Much of this popularity is due to the success of Spike TV’s reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter, which first went on air in 2005 and is extremely popular with the elusive 18 – 34 guy (including yours truly). Basically UFC has made all other leagues seem bush league…something every brand strives to do.
This Saturday Night, UFC’s competitor EliteXC had a chance to change the game with a prime time feature on network TV with CBS Saturday Night Fight. It was a first for MMA since UFC has always been limited to cable (on Spike TV) or Pay Per View. EliteXC blew the opportunity though and further cemented UFC’s lead.
If you are a challenger brand, you need to make the most of your brand
EliteXC missed the opportunity because of simple branding mistakes. You see, when you are a challenger brand (ie in 2nd or 3rd place behind a huge brand), you need to make the most of opportunities. You need to show potential fans/consumers why your brand is better than the entrenched brand. EliteXC had the potential for this type of showing. They were on a national stage that UFC has never had (CBS vs Spike). They had stellar fighters lined up (Gina from American Gladiator and Kimbo Slice from street fighting fame). And most importantly, they had a much-anticipated title fight lined up.
But they screwed it up with poor branding missteps
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The Wii Fit is going to be a game changer. Mine arrived last week and already I can see that this little game has the potential to change how people view staying fit and healthy. The reasons are simple:
Fun…Easy as that: Motivation to keep going has always been the biggest barrier to overcome with exercise. Wii Fit takes care of that hurdle by making exercise not seem like exercise at all (kinda like Dance Dance Revolution a few years ago).
Measureability and Accountability: The key to a good exercise routine is tracking your progress. I’ve never been able to get myself to do that. But Wii Fit takes care of it for me with the Daily Body Tests. Now I know how I am doing and it calls me out if I skip a day
Education: When most of us start exercising, we don’t consult a personal trainer (or even a doctor for that matter). Wii Fit recognizes that and builds education and correction into the game. It tells you that your body weight can fluctuate throughout the day so you should do your test at the same time. And it corrects your posture in yoga so you are doing the exercises the way you were meant to (a real yoga teacher cant even do that!).
Challenges: Humans are competitive by nature, especially anyone that grew up playing video games. We want to get the high score, unlock the next game, etc. Wii Fit recognizes this and rewards you by giving you new games and workouts the more you play. I watched my girlfiend play it for over 2 hours the other night just because she was getting so excited about each game she unlocked. That is real motivation for exercise!
I just wonder how long it will be before people recognize this potential. When will the first school order a few Wii Fits for their PE class? Or when will the first gym create a Wii Fit class (or even, when will the first Wii Fit gym open)? And will brands try to leverage the power of Wii Fit like Nike did with the iPod for Nike +? The opportunities are endless. The trend of consumers wanting a healthy lifestyle isnt going away and Nintendo of all people just made it that much easier for them to live just a little bit better.
I recently I came across a brand whose concept I just love, Help Remedies. The brand is taking what Method did for Home Care (and now Personal Care) and applying the concept to Health Care. The company is bringing simple, yet elegant packaging/design to health care products, while using a singular benefit such as “help, I have a headache.” I love this concept and their tag line of “Everyone needs a little help from time to time.” The company goes on to explain their concept further on their About Us page with the following:
While some health problems are large, complicated and frightening, most aren’t the end of the world. A kind word and a little help can get you on your way again.
Help Remedies was created to make solving simple health issues simple. We find the best solution there is, and take away everything else. By stripping away some of the complexity and fear mongering of the health industry, we hope to make the category friendlier and more accessible, and in doing so empower people to make their own health decisions.
We think a little help, honesty and kindness will go a long way.
I think the brilliance of this idea is really in the simplicity. Health Care doesnt need to be complicated but we have made it this way. There is a growing trend of DIY Doctor (coined in MicroTrends) and brands like Help will be able to capitalize in a big way. And it will be easy for them to expand with Help, I have heartburn (watch out Tums) or Help I have chapped lips (watch out Blistex). The opportunities are endless for this brand….I just hope P&G’s M&A group has their eye on these guys!
Catching up on the DVR this weekend, I was watching the season finale of “My Name is Earl” when a great brand integration caught my attention. It turns out that Klondike Bar is bringing back their great jingle of “What would you do for a Klondike Bar” and blasting the message across multiple new media channels.
Nostalgia is a powerful marketing tool
Many brand managers/agencies suffer from NCH (Not Created Here), causing them to turn their back on great campaigns/jingles of old. But the smart folks at Klondike are embracing nostalgia in their campaign, but doing it through new tools with Consumer Generated Media, Branded Entertainment and Public Relations.
First, the whole campaign revolves around the “What would you do” contest where you can submit a video showing just what you would do for that Klondike. The top video will be $100K and the chance to meet “The Lonely Island “ team (which in itself is a huge prize for aspiring comedians/writers). Second, they created what I thought was a pretty natural integration with “My Name is Earl” where Randy proceeds to do several “wacky” things to get a Klondike Bar. Third they tied this integration and contest together with spots throughout the show promoting the contest (the spots alone made me laugh out loud…much to the annoyance of my girlfriend). Finally, they added a dose of PR with an appearance on Jay Leno to promote the contest as well. Interestingly, both Earl and Leno are on NBC so this seems to be a top-to-top integration.
All in all, I have to say this is a great way to do Consumer/User Generated Media and New Media thanks to the following:
Klondike didn’t just rely on traditional media & :30 second spots to promote the contest.
They gave consumers a “Creative Brief” to follow with a specific framework “What Would Do” and specific categories: Laughs, Did You See that?, and Flaunt It.
They gave incentives for submitting videos ($$$ and trip) AND for watching/engaging with the videos ($25K for watching/rating videos)
They didnt walk away from nostalgia and try to create a new tagline. More marketers need to stop spending millions to generate awareness of a new tagline that no consumer really cares about anyways.
What do you think? Did Klondike do it right? What elements would you have added or gotten rid of?
Ikea in-game integration with The Sims – I am a huge fan of video game advertising if done right. This is one of the best I have seen so far with Ikea partnering with The Sims.
So Becks has decided that instead of having a “corporate blogger”, they are going to hire a guy/gal off the street to be their voice. As they describe on the site:
It Finally Pays to Blog: You live by the blog. You have a way with words that hold people captive. And you don’t shy away from being in the public eye. Then we want you. Give your two cents worth, and we’ll give you a handsome salary and other bright perks. Your name and blogs will be seen by many around the world. Others have 365 days, you have 365 entries in a year. You get to work with Beck’s and a congenial creative team in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You might even relocate to a greener pasture. Sounds too good to be true? Apply now for a reality check
Personally I love this approach as long as they empower the blogger. You cant have someone representing your brand unless you: A.) Give them full access, and B.) Don’t put handcuffs on them or censor them. If Becks is willing to embrace blogging to this degree, they have huge potential in this. Of course, on the flip side, they face huge backlash from the blogging community if they put too much of a box around this person. I think the risk is worth it though to open their brand to the world with a real, authentic voice.
This week I am headed back to Cincinnati to serve my Best Man duties at the wedding of one of my great friends. All will be quiet on the blogging front while I am away but here are a few links to leave you with that have got me thinking lately:
AttentionMax “Why Passion Matters” – I just love this statement: “passion is not something that can be bought, outsourced or faked.” When I think about people I want on my team, passion is #1. You can train someone to be a great marketer…you can’t train passion though. I’ll take the bet that the person passionate about their job and life in general will beat experience or a “pedigree” any day.
Lightheavyweight “What is Strategy?” -Simple thoughts but very needed. Too many brands try to be everything to everyone. Strategy needs to be simple, narrow and focused.
Godin “We Specialize in Everything” – I missed this post until I caught a mention of it on m-cause. I love this quote “When choice is limited, I want a generalist. When selection is difficult, a jack of all trades is just fine. But whenever possible, please bring me a brilliant specialist.” There is something to be said about finding yourself a niche and doing it better than anyone else.
The Gen Y Guide to Web 2.0 Work – This is brilliant…even more so for the fact she created a killer presentation on her Nintendo DS!
Digital Nomads and The New Workforce – Great post and something I want to write about more later. In today’s world, great talent can work anywhere. Companies need to start embracing this and thinking about a world where their best people might not need to live in the home office. Save on relocation money and let them live/work where they want. Doing so opens up endless opportunities to attract amazing talent.
Viral Garden “Social Media: Where Have We Been, Where are We Going?” – Great summary post. I’m actually thinking of putting together a presentation along these lines to educate my fellow Brand Managers about the Social Media space along with successes and failures. If helpful, I’ll post here for all to see.
Techno/Marketer “Developing Personas for Marketing Strategy” – This is one of the best summaries on the concepts of personas that I have ever read. At P&G we talk about personas as our WHO, attaching a name to a Prime Prospect that is our target market. Great, great summary of how to develop a WHO for your person. When I consult, I am shocked at how many brands and businesses havent taken this step. You can’t create a marketing plan without developing a robust WHO…it’s that simple.
Ever since I got it last week, I have been spending way too much time on Grand Theft Auto IV (thanks in large part to my girlfriend being out of town). In fact, the playing time counter in the game just makes me feel guilty whenever I look at it. But all kidding aside, I just stumbled across this amazing side by side comparison on Flickr of pictures from the game and real life pictures of New York City. I knew the guys at Rockstar were damn impressive…I just didnt full appreciate it till i saw these pics. No wonder the game did over $500MM in sales in the first week.
Hard Knox Life is the blog of Dave Knox, a classic CPG Brand Manager. It is about marketing, media & technology and how those forces are changing the job of a Brand Manager.
Contact Me:
e-mail: dave.knox at gmail.com
cell phone: +1.513.658.0868
Disclaimer: The opinions shared in this space do not represent the opinions of my employer.
Posted by Dave Knox 
The brand is taking what Method did for Home Care (and now Personal Care) and applying the concept to Health Care. The company is bringing simple, yet elegant packaging/design to health care products, while using a singular benefit such as “help, I have a headache.” I love this concept and their tag line of “Everyone needs a little help from time to time.” The company goes on to explain their concept further on their About Us page with the following:
much time on 
Hard Knox Life is the blog of Dave Knox, a classic CPG Brand Manager. It is about marketing, media & technology and how those forces are changing the job of a Brand Manager.
Hard Knox Life: A Brand Manager Blog by Dave Knox 